Abstract
At the turn of the twentieth century, Chicago’s residents were deeply concerned with understanding the city’s perceived chaos. For many Americans, Chicago stood for the best and the worst of urban life simultaneously, and many of the public conversations at this time can be seen as responses to this seeming contradiction. This essay compares Theodore Dreiser’s seminal naturalist novel Sister Carrie and the rhetoric of Chicago’s labor unions as examples of the American response to the problems of urban modernity. In many ways, Dreiser and organized labor’s depictions of the city were similar: they both saw it as a force growing beyond human control and they recognized the importance of class in navigating the city. However, Dreiser saw Chicago as a powerful entity beyond the comprehension of its residents, while labor leaders believed the city’s power was a construction of industrial capitalism. While Dreiser saw class identity as weakening individuals, labor saw it as a source of strength. Ultimately, both agreed that the problems of urban life would be resolved and Chicago would become a more perfect city.
Advisor
Maclean, Robert
Second Advisor
Shaya, Greg
Department
English; History
Recommended Citation
Fuqua, Ben, "Windy City Radicals: Sister Carrie, Organized Labor, and the Problem of Chicago" (2014). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 6071.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/6071
Disciplines
United States History
Publication Date
2014
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2014 Ben Fuqua